Washington State Community College fetes Corrections Academy grads

MARIETTA--Ten corrections officers from the Belmont and Washington County sheriff's offices have completed the Ohio Corrections Officer Basic Training Academy at Washington State Community College.

They were:

* Derek Conley, Kurtis Gompf, Tom Kenefick and Nakayla Tantarelli of the Belmont County Sheriff's Office.

* Cody Huggins, Trenton Johnson, Anyon Kunze, Josh Mays, Amber McCray and Joshua Vanway of the Washington County Sheriff.

Enrollment in the academy is restricted to employees of an Ohio local correctional facility. The successful completion of the academy makes the graduates eligible to take the Ohio certification test.

The academy covers administration, legal issues, jail security, human relations, medical overview, subject control techniques, and first aid. Certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission, it includes 148 hours of training and is required for certification to be employed as a corrections officer in an Ohio facility.

In addition to the Corrections Academy, Washington State also offers the Peace Officer Basic Academy, the required training for anyone interested in employment as a law enforcement professional in Ohio. The college is accepting applications for the academy that will begin on October 11.

The 2023-2024 academy will run Monday through Friday evenings with some weekends and will span the fall and spring semesters.

The first point of entry to becoming a cadet in the program is passing the state-mandated physical training test. The endurance assessment includes a minute of sit-ups, a minute of push-ups and a mile-and-a-half run. The next physical training tests will at 5-7 p.m. Aug. 27, 9-11 a.m. Sept. 9 and 5-7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Williamstown High School track. Pre-registration is not required.